


You Can't Do That, You're a Dad Now

by Ellie1600



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Baby's first words, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26706415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellie1600/pseuds/Ellie1600
Summary: Cara is around to watch the kid which naturally means Mando goes and puts himself in danger.  A bit of angst and fluff plus baby's first word or two.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Cara Dune/The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 114





	1. You're Dad is Stupid

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing, just playing with these Characters.

Cara hadn't been happy with the decision, but he just had to win. Yet she was a fighter and she certainly didn't go down without a fight. They had fought so loudly the kid went and hid in his crib.

And as always Mando won.

They had just landed on a new planet and he insisted that he be the one to go out and check the perimeter and surrounding area for any dangers. She objected, he was wrong—it should be her to go and assess their situation. But the stubborn man believed that with his helmet he could see far more than she could.

That damn helmet.

Cara hated that helmet—for multiple reasons. And it was not because the kid got to see him without it and she didn't.

No, she hated it because he seemed to think it made him invincible, as if a piece of metal and his way could get him out of any situation. He was not invincible, regardless of what he thought, she knew the truth. She had been there next to him when he had almost died. The Mandalorian was not invincible, and in her opinion, the sooner he realized that the better.

They couldn't leave the Child alone. Cara knew that. She just thought he should stay with the kid—his kid. He was the dad and he should be the one to stay with his son. If this fight had been simply because she was a woman and therefore she stayed with the kid—then she could have just hit him and went outside to look around. But no, because of his stupid helmet, he truly thought he was better than anyone to do this task.

That was just crazy and how do you argue with crazy?

Very loudly.

She told him it was dangerous, she even accused him of being sexiest. Honestly Cara didn't even know if he actually thought of her as a woman instead of just another fighter. But she still tried it.

He wouldn't budge.

The stupid Mandalorian left the two of them safely in the ship and went into the unknown—alone. He promised the kid he wouldn't be long. A lie—but at least he was concerned enough about the child to say it.

After he left the two just stared at each other.

"Your dad is stupid" she cried in frustration and flopped down on one of the chairs. The kid squawked at her in protest.

"You telling me you wouldn't prefer it if he stayed and I went?" She asked him with a look and his ears just dropped.

Instantly she regretted her words.

"Sorry I didn't mean that. You aren't going to choke me again for insulting your dad are you?" She asked, a little nervous that he would either get mad or start crying.

Instead he looked up at her, his eyes big and filled with fear and raised his arms begging to be picked up. With a sigh—she was spending too much time with Mando— she quickly moved to hold him

"You and I are friends right? And your dad will be back in no time so there is nothing for you to worry those ears over." She cooed smiling down at him and he gave her an almost smile back.

"Good now lets play" she said, bouncing him.

Distraction was the best course of action.

Cara didn't have a lot of interaction with children but she could still remember when she was growing up being responsible for some of the younger kids. And then there were fuzzy memories of when she was little. She usually tried not to remember those memories but something about the kid made it a little easier to remember, it hurt just a little less.

It worked for a while, they played with his toys. She even told him some stories, the child friendly ones she knew. He listened, even seemed engaged—he really did understand more than they thought. But then like someone threw a switch the kid realized it had been too long. He began to fuss and cry. He made noises she didn't even know he could make. It was clear he was upset and nothing Cara did seemed to help. She tried to distract him with his toys, she held him and paced. She even tried to use food when it was dinner time.

He wouldn't eat.

Didn't matter what she tried to feed him he would not eat. Instead he stood on his chair babbling angrily and pointing towards the door. He wouldn't drink anything either. He was on a complete hunger strike till his father came back.

"He will be back soon don't worry little guy." She said trying to calm him but he wasn't having any of it.

"NABA" he screamed at her getting worked up. She had never heard him be so loud or so angry. Then he walked onto the table, plopped down and began yelling and pounding his little legs against the table.

Cara was in shock.

The kid was throwing a full blown tantrum. And she just sat there watching him.

The trouble was he wasn't throwing a tantrum because he didn't get his way or because he was being naughty and had a toy taken away as punishment—as she has seen with other little kids. No he was throwing a fit because his dad hadn't come back when he was supposed to and he could be hurt or in trouble.

How could she tell him to stop? She couldn't tell him he was wrong. She was worried about Mando too. Plus the kid was a kid, a baby or toddler at most. He only had so many ways of expressing himself. Instead she simply sat there and let him scream and cry and bang on the table. She wanted to hit things too so why shouldn't he?

Cara half expected him to start throwing things or worse using his weird powers to throw or break things. But instead he just sat there yelling and banging. She tried to give him her hand but he pushed it away angrily. He didn't want to be soothed. He wanted his dad to come back safely through the hatch.

But he hadn't come back.

Eventually the little one seemed to tire himself out. Cara had been waiting for this, a kid could only throw a tantrum for so long before they got tired out. But instead of laying down or agreeing to eat he became—frantic.

He scrambled down off the table to the floor nearly falling in the process. And then he scurried around as if he were looking for something. Cara was stunned and confused by his actions, unsure what to do, she just sat there watching him. After a bit of this he bolted for the ladder up to the cockpit and that is when she intervened. She has seen what he tried to do the last time he was up there alone—he nearly wrecked the ship. Additionally, she was afraid he was going to hurt himself.

Quickly she picked him up before he could fall off the ladder. At that moment he wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings. He was upset and afraid and she knew he would end up hurting himself if she left him alone. He immediately tried to fight her to get down so he could get up to the cockpit.

"Hey easy, you can go up, but I'm going to carry you so you don't get hurt." She told him and he stopped fighting her and waited. Carefully she carried him up the ladder, once in the small room she expected him to try and get to the pilot's seat to play with the buttons or something.

She honestly had no idea what was going through his mind or what he wanted to do.

To her surprise, he didn't want the pilot's seat instead he began to strain in her arms trying to get to his special safety seat. Confused yet again, she carried him over there and put him down. Thankfully, this was apparently what he wanted, but instead of sitting down he began looking around in the seat. A few seconds later she figured out why. From within the blankets he pulled out the Mandalorian pendant. It was the one Mando had given her when he thought he was going to die on Navarro. She had put it around the kids neck. Mando must have let him keep it.

The thought made her smile.

"Here" she said softly, putting the string around his neck once more. He babbled something that sounded almost like a thank you and then tried to get down. She quickly scooped him back up.

"Are we going back down now?" She asked as he strained in that direction this time. He squeaked affirmatively at her and they went back down. Once back in the hold he wiggled in her arms and she let him down.

Feet on the floor, he quickly toddled over to Mando's bunk and where he kept his clothes and maybe personal items. She had never gone over there and certainly never went through his things. It was private. But clearly not to the kid. He climbed around and began pulling at one of the small drawers.

Cara was going to stop him but then her own anger flared up. If the little one wanted to get into his stuff and ruin his things—The Mandalorian deserved it. He was the one who left the kid for hours, scaring them both. Instead of stopping him, she went over and helped the child open the drawer and held him up so he could look inside. Instead of tearing things out or destroying anything he pulled out one of Mando's black short sleeved shirts that he wore over his body suit. The kid gathered it in his arms and held it close to him.

"Is that what you wanted?" She asked and he mewed back sounding so sad. She closed the drawer and waited for him to tell her what to do next. He wiggled towards the bed and she put him on it. He stood there for a minute looking around. Then, as if making up his mind, he dropped the shirt and sat down right next to it. With the Mandalorian pendant in his mouth, he flopped back on the bed and curled up into the large piece of clothing.

And then he began to sob loudly and painfully.

Cara's heart first jumped into her throat and then broke in half at the sight of the kid sobbing into his dad's shirt. His own form of a vigil till his father came back or worse. These were real tears, his previous cries were merely him throwing a fit. These were big wet tears with gut twisting bawling.

"You are in so much trouble when you get back Mando" she whispered to herself. But she was beginning to fear the worst too. It had been too long, far too long. He should have been back by now. She wished there was some way to contact him, to check on him. Instead they were both left to wait.

She hated waiting.

There was only one thing she could think to do. Cara laid down on the bunk and curled herself around the little one as if she could somehow protect him from the hurt he was now feeling. She rubbed his back gently, thankful he let her. She felt completely useless.

"He will be back, your dad will be back soon." She told him though neither believed it to be true.


	2. You can't do that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando finally makes it back but what condition is he in? Care has a few choice words for him when he does show up...so does the Child.

Cara had lost all track of time as she lay on the Mandaloian's bunk curled around the child. The little one had wrapped himself up in his father's shirt. Clutching the Mandalorian pendant in his hand and occasionally sucking on it. He lay there crying and all she could do was rub his little back. Trying in vain to calm him. But she knew what he really wanted, what he needed, was his dad.

"He will be back. Your Dad will be back." She told him softly, for the hundredth time. And in her head she followed those words with 'and when he does I am going to kick his ass'.

Her words did little to help the child or herself.

Laying there listening to the kid whimpering was tearing her heart to shreds. She may have been a battle hardened soldier but she still had a heart. And she cared a lot about the little green bean. He had quickly found his way into her heart and she didn't want to see him hurt. She had developed a fondness for his father as well. But at the moment she wasn't feeling so fond of him. If not for the kid she would have killed the Mandalorian herself when he returned.

If he returned.

Fear kept growing in her no matter how much she tried to push it down. She wasn't one to give into fear. Fear made her angry but she had to focus on the kid—he was what really mattered. Instead giving in to her anger she kept repeating the same words over and over to the little one.

"He will be back. Your dad will be back."

But laying there with the Child, terrible thoughts kept running through her head. What if something happened? What if someone got the drop on him? What if he was hurt somewhere unable to get back on his own?

What if he was dead?

If he had been killed it was very possible that they were next. She had to protect the Child. They would need to leave. But where could she take the kid? She couldn't protect him the way Mando could.

Her first thought was Sorgan. But the villagers couldn't protect him. They were farmers not soldiers. There was Greef, he had a soft spot for the kid and could probably protect him, but that was not the world the Child should live in…That woman Mandalorian—the Armorer, that was what Mando had called her. Was she still below the city? Could Cara get the kid to her, to Mando's people? The woman would surely remember the child—he was impossible to forget. They would take care of the little one, they had to, it was what they did wasn't it? That was what Mando had told her. But what if the woman was gone? How would she find them? How would she keep the kid safe?

'Damn they should have talked about this when she came to help him.'

"It's okay everything will be okay." She told the kid but even she no longer believe what she said.

In that moment she envied the kid with his shirt and pendant, at least he had something to cling to. She knew she was being unfair and selfish. But she was scared and frustrated and worried. She hated being any one of those, let alone all three.

Cara hoped the Child would cry himself to sleep. It would be better for him that way. But he wasn't getting tired, he just lay there sobbing and letting out little hiccups every so often.

The child had finally found a family, a father to take care of him and love him. A clan of two the woman called them. And now it was being ripped away from the little green bean. Her heart broke even further for him. In that moment she would have done anything to make him feel better.

Suddenly she heard a noise, in a flash she was on her feet blaster in hand. The kid looked up at her, his cries caught in his throat and concern written on his face. She put a finger to her lips and he stopped all sounds. He knew the importance of when to be quiet, a fact she greatly appreciated.

It sounded like the hatch opening. Only Mando should be able to do that. But if he had been killed or taken prisoner someone could have taken the control from him too. Silently she ran to the hatch and as it lowered she leveled the blaster in front of her ready to fire. She was on high alert, her body flooded with adrenaline and when the hatch finally lowered and revealed the Mandalorian she shook with relief.

"Mando are you okay" she cried.

"I could lie and say yes" he groaned, hobbling forward into the Crest and with a second groan he hit the control on his arm to close the hatch behind him. Cara rushed to his side to help him walk.

"What happened?" She demanded as she helped him into the living area.

"A pack of wild animals, they were smart, divided and attacked me. They overwhelmed me for a while, there were so many of them. It took me a while to fight them off." He answered breathing heavily and leaning against the table.

"Animals?" She parroted in disbelief. Yet she looked him over and saw several bite and claw marks on his arms, legs and below his breastplate.

"Yeah" he sighed. "Stupid I know."

At his words and the sight of him—the slight humor in his voice trying to make it better—something just snapped.

"Don't do that. Don't ever do that again." She yelled at him as she began to hit his arm pushing him about, whatever part of him she could reach, she attacked. "Don't you dare do that again."

"Cara ow stop, stop what is wrong with you?" He cried out trying to move away.

"Wrong with me? I thought you were dead, you idiot." She cried, continuing to hit him. "You scared the hell out of us. Do you know what that feels like? Don't do that ever again. Do you hear me you asshole." She didn't initially realize it but angry tears were now on her face and that made her mad as hell.

He made her cry, no one made her cry.

"Care please stop, I'm here I'm safe, you don't need to worry. I'm sorry." He yelp back, trying to stop her attack he grabbed her and pulling her into a hug. She wasn't expecting that and it took her a moment to respond but her anger flared up again, he couldn't pacify her that easily.

Later, when she thought about it, Cara would be shocked that he hugged her...It was not a behavior she associated with the Mandaorian unless it was directed towards the child. But at the time she was too angry with him to give his actions a second thought.

"No, don't do that, don't you dare do that" she yelled at him and half pushed him away. "He was frantic." She cried pointing at the where the kid still sat on the bunk with his shirt and pendant, tears still in his eyes as he watched them.

"He thought he lost his father, his family. You of all people know how that feels. He has been upset for hours. And all I could do was tell him his dad was going to be okay, not knowing if it was true." She let loose her fury at him not sparing him the brutality of her words.

"Cara I'm sorry" he apologized. His words may have been directed at her but his helmeted head was on the kid. Now that he had his father's attention the little one stood up and raised his arms as he began to cry out to him.

"Tell him you're sorry" she snapped. Mando let go of her and rushed to the child, once close enough he scooped the kid up into his arms and the little one began loudly sobbing once more.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Ad'ika" he moaned. After a few moments she watched the kid's little hands pull at his helmet. He wanted his father to take it off.

The Child was the only one who could make that request.

"Cara I need to take this off" his voice hitched and she could hear the tears lacing it.

Another shock. She had never heard him cry before.

"I'll turn around and close my eyes" she sighed, taking one of the chairs and sitting down with her back to the two, closing her eyes as she wiped the remains of her tears away. She needed time to calm down as well.

"Thank you" he replied softly.

The moment Cara turned her back the Mandalorian ripped the helmet off his head, tossing it on the bed. He bowed his head forward so his forehead touched the kid's and the little one could touch his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I never meant to do that to you." He moaned as a few of his own tears fell. Cara was right, he knew exactly what it felt like to have his parents—his whole world disappear.

He suspected the kid had a family once and had already lost them and now Din had made him think he had lost his new family too. He could only imagine how he would have felt if he had lost his Mandalorian family shortly after having lost his parents. It made him feel like the worst person in the galaxy for doing that to the child, his child.

"I won't do it again, I promise." He told the child holding him close, he dropped down onto the bunk and held the little one as tightly as he dared while the kid clung to him as his tears continued to fall. Din didn't know what else he could do so he just sat there with the kid letting him cry. As they sat he alternated between rubbing his back and his head trying to let him know that his dad was there.

After what felt like forever the kid finally began to calm down. He wiggled back in his arms so he could look his father over. He then raised his arm and squinted his eyes. He wanted to use his magic to heal him.

"No Ad'ika you don't need to do that, bacta will heal me" he tried to argue. But the kid started to squawk at him in protest and he looked like he might start crying again. He didn't know how to tell the kid that he didn't deserve what he was offering.

"Din let him heal you" Cara snapped at him angrily. He turned his head quickly to see if she was watching them but her back was still to them. She never used his real name. She had always respected that part of him. He knew she was mad and she was deadly serious. He just didn't know why.

"Cara..." He began trying to figure out how to argue with her.

"I'm not thinking about you. It will make him feel better, that is all I care about." She growled still angry at him.

"Oh...yes you're right." He agreed as he suddenly understood. "Okay Ad'ika you can do it" he nodded with a small smile at the kid, it was all he could manage. He felt terrible, but it wasn't about him—Cara was right—the kid wanted to do this and he would have agreed to almost anything to make the little one happy.

The child raised his arm and squinted. Din felt his body tingle and suddenly all the pain was gone. His ribs didn't hurt and he could breathe deeply once more. He let out a gasp at the suddenness of it and he looked down at the kid with a huge smile.

"Thank you" he said, giving him a kiss on the top of his head. The kid cooed happily and threw himself at his dad once more snuggling close in the embrace. "I love you so much" Din whispered to the child. Once more he sat there taking solace in the kids' presence.

Then suddenly the little one slapped his hand on his chest plate and then he did it again. He continued doing it over and over while Din looked down at him confused. The kid's face scrunched in concentration, he was clearly thinking hard about something but the Mandalorian didn't know what the child was doing.

"Da…da... dada" the child pushed the words out and Din's eyes went wide.

"What?" He gasped in disbelief.

"Dada Dada" the kid said with more force and confidence than before.

"Yeah that's me" he smiled down at the child feeling like his heart would explode. Then the kid began to hit his chest harder.

"Dada no, dada no, dada no" he yelled out over and over again and he looked like he was about to cry again. Din thought he might cry as well but he got the message loud and clear.

Don't leave me.

"I won't, don't worry I won't leave you, I will never scare you like that again I promise." He vowed with every ounce he had left and he pulled the kid closer kissing his head again. With his assurance the kid started nuzzling his face and said in the most content voice ever "dada".

"You got me kid and I'm not going anywhere."

It was then he noticed the Mandalorian pendant on the bed in a pile of black fabric. The child usually kept the pendant in his crib or his safety seat in the cockpit, he must have retrieved it when Din hadn't returned. This sent another wave of guilt through him. He looked at the fabric trying to figure out what it was. The kid didn't have any black blankets.

"Is that my shirt?" He asked, confused.

"Yeah the kid wanted it. He was trying to get one of your drawers open and I figured it served you right if he destroyed your stuff so I helped him." Cara said defiance filling her voice.

"Turns out he just wanted your shirt. It must smell like you or something because he was all curled up with it. I still think he should have trashed your stuff." She huffed at him and he snored.

"I half expected him to use his powers to make a giant mess, I only hoped he wouldn't hurt the crest."

"I was a little surprised he didn't. But now I know where you keep your underwear." She teased him and he just let it go. If she was teasing him she was starting to forgive him—a little.

"Thank you" he said instead.

"Yeah well, you heard him don't do that again, dad."

"I won't." He promised and it was a promise he intended to keep.

"I mean it, you can't do that you're a dad now."

"I know and I promise I won't." He told her emphatically.

"Good, on to important matters. He wouldn't eat dinner, he was on a hunger strike or maybe just too worried to eat."

"Ah that must be why you are still awake. Are you hungry?" He asked the kid and the little one cooed back excitedly.

"I'll take that as a yes. Okay I have to put this back on." He told the kid who cooed sadly this time as he picked up his helmet.

"I can go up to the cockpit" Cara offered.

"No it's okay" he called back stopping her, quickly putting his helmet on before the kid could object more.

"Come on Ad'ika let's eat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone for reading, the kudos and the comments I greatly appreciate it. I hope you the next chapter. Please let me know what you think.


	3. The Child's Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cara gets serious for a minute and everything else is basically fluff especially between Mando and the Child. And the Green Bean has a punishment of his own for his dad.

Now that his father was back the Child ate with gusto. Everything Din offered him he ate as fast as he could.

As he ate the kid kept one hand wrapped around Din's fingers. The act always seemed to calm the child. The Mandalorian didn't know if it had anything to do with their first meeting or if it was just a reminder that his dad was with him. Whatever the reason it calmed the kid and Din was more than willing to give up his finger when the kid needed it, especially that night.

When he was done eating the little one grabbed the hydro pouch of water and sat back in his dad's arms. He then proceeded to drink the water like a bottle. Din had wondered more than once if he should get the kid a couple of bottles. But back on Sorgan, Omera had warned him not to do it.

According to her—and he trusted her parental experience—if the Child was happy drinking from a cup it was better to stick with that. If he introduced a bottle now it would probably be a lot harder to wean the kid off a bottle later.

He was sure she was right, but the kid looked so happy sucking on the pouch. Din could help but wonder if it wasn't worth the trouble later when the kid seemed so happy at the idea. Maybe it was the guilt he still felt but the Mandalorian decided he would go ahead and pick one up and see what happened. Would mean less spills to clean up too.

The kid stopped drinking for a moment, popping the pouch out of his mouth and let out a loud burp. The two adults laughed at the sound, it had the result of lightening the mood even further. Oblivious to the adults the Child went back to his drink as they watched. He was just a baby after all.

About halfway through the pouch of water the kid promptly fell asleep against his father's chest. Seeing the kid sleep Din began to relax, though he still felt terrible about what he had done. He hadn't meant for it to happen, he hadn't wanted to scare either of them. But his actions had done just that and he needed to make amends.

The whole time he was fighting the animals all he could think of was his Ad'ika waiting for him. Now with the little one safely in his arms there was no way he was moving anytime soon. The child was staying in his arms.

"Cara I really am sorry. I never wanted to make you two worry. Thank you for being there for him." He apologized and thanked her once more. She nodded and silently looked at him for a few moments.

"It hurt to watch him in so much pain." She said finally, she didn't like talking about her emotions anymore than he did. He knew her admission was an uncomfortable one for her.

"I'm so sorry." It was all he could think to say there were no words that could make up for what he had done.

"I know...but there is something we need to talk about." Her voice now harder as if to cover her emotional admission and she sat up a little straighter.

"Okay" he replied ready to be scolded or lectured again.

"I need to know what you want me to do with the green bean if anything happens to you. Obviously I'm keeping your ship" she grinned at him before becoming serious once more. "But what do you want me to do with him?"

"Do with him?" he questioned confused.

"Yes, you are his dad, you decide who takes care of him if something happens to you. I need to know who you want and how do I find them?" She pushed him but his confusion continued. 

"Cara if something happens to me I want him to stay with you."

"Me?" she croaked.

"Yes you" he confirmed. "I thought you knew."

"But I have no idea what to do with a kid or how to take care of him." She quickly objected.

"You think I have any idea what I'm doing? If I did I wouldn't have ended up scaring the hell out of him tonight." What he couldn't tell her was that most of what he did right was because Omera had told him to do it.

"But he loves you." She continued to argue.

"He likes you a lot" he countered.

"But I'm not parent material. I'm nothing like Omera." She added as if reading his thoughts.

"No you are a terrible krill farmer. I should know I was there." He laughed.

"Stop it, you weren't very good either." She cried laughing as well.

"No I wasn't and Omera is a great mother to Winta living in a tiny village of farmers. He isn't Winta, he can't live in a sleepy village. It isn't safe for him or them. He needs more protection than they can offer."

"But I can't protect him like you." She objected.

"Yes you can." He told her firmly. "Cara you are the one I trust to take care of him if something were to happen to me."

"But what about your people? They certainly can take care of him better than I can. There people who would like to me throw me in a cell including the republic... I—I can't give him what he needs." It was then he heard the fear in her voice and it confused him for a moment.

Din realized that the idea of being responsible for the kid was a scary prospect for her. He could understand, there were still days when it felt overwhelming to be the one responsible for such a special child. Yet he had also assumed that she knew how he felt about this topic, but he was wrong once more. Clearly she needed some time to think about it. It had taken him time to come to terms with it himself and she needed the same benefit.

"I think you can. Just think about it, please. But once I know where my people are I will make sure you know how to find them should the worst happen." He promised her though he still thought that the kid was better with her. Cara would do what it took to find the kid's people or someone who could help with his powers.

"Thank you. I'm sure that woman the Armorer could do a better job than I could."

"I doubt chasing after this little one is really in her future." He laughed at the idea.

"Probably not safe to let him run free around that forge." She agreed with a smile.

"Definitely not" he laughed again. "Now I know I don't deserve it but could you do me a quick favor?" He asked Cara hoping she would hear him out and not flat out refuse.

"Maybe" she replied almost playfully.

"Can you hold him for a few minutes while I get cleaned off. I don't want him sleeping on my dirty chest." He tried to explain. He didn't like the idea of handing the kid over but he was dirty and bloody. He wanted to be a clean place for the child to sleep.

"Well I certainly don't want you to start smelling up the place, so yes hand him over. But if he wakes up you're taking him back." She agreed and to his surprise she smiled.

"Deal" he quickly replied and gently transferred the kid from his arms to hers. They both held their breath waiting to see if the movement would wake the child. But to their relief he just kept snoring lightly and snuggled into her arms.

"You got five minutes" Cara whispered, teasing him again.

Din didn't need to be told twice, grabbing a change of clothes he rushed into the tiny bathroom. He washed off the dirt and dry blood as quickly as he could. He was more afraid of the child waking up than getting yelled at again. He was sure he took more than five minutes but Cara didn't chastise him when he came out. She was looking down at the child holding one of his little hands watching him sleep. Upon closer inspection her eyes were closed, it looked like she had fallen asleep as well.

"Cara" he whispered softly gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyes shot open but she didn't jump or wake the child which he was thankful for. "I'll take him and you can get some sleep." He told her carefully moving the kid back into the safety of his arms.

"About time" she grumbled to cover her sleepiness and the fact that she dozed off.

He just smiled at her taking the Child with him to his bunk. He closed the door, cutting off the small area from the rest of the ship. Now that they were alone Din removed his helmet and gently climbed into bed positioning the kid on his chest and covering them both with a blanket.

Since Cara had joined them a few weeks ago, the kid had started finding ways into his bed. How exactly the kid got the door open he didn't know, and the womp rat wasn't telling. His magic was the likely cause yet Din never saw him use it. Instead he would wake to find the little one standing next to his bed crying. Or sometimes he just climbed up and fell asleep on top of his father's chest. It didn't matter what Din said to the little one or what he tried to do, the kid kept finding his way into his father's bed.

Cara was convinced it was because of her—the Child was staking his claim. Not that Din even though Cara would entertain the idea of spending time with him in the small space he slept in.

She also thought that because of her he had to keep his helmet on more and therefore the kid wanted to spend time with him when he could see his face. That idea held more merit to him. Yet, whatever the reason for the child's closeness, Din had taken to bringing the kid to bed with him when he finally went to sleep. This cut down on having to wake up to a crying child in the middle of the night.

But after the trauma he had caused that night he didn't dare go to bed without the Child. It was one of the ways he was trying to make it up to the kid. Unsurprisingly it didn't take Din very long to fall asleep with the kid securely on his chest. The little one relaxed him and he was beginning to wonder how he could possibly exist without the womp rat in his life. His world felt so empty when the child wasn't with him. He let out a sigh of relief and joined the kid in the land of sleep and light snoring.

To the Mandalorian's surprise the little one ended up extracting his own type of punishment on his father. For the next week the kid insisted on always being with him. When possible he wanted to be held by him all the time. Din couldn't ever set him down in his crib at night. Even if he was asleep the kid seemed to know when he was being set down and instantly woke back up. Din slept with him on his chest and woke in the morning to find one of the kids' hands wrapped around his fingers. It made him smile. When he got up the kid woke up and was ready for another day of complete attachment to his father.

Din's morning routine was the most interesting part of it all. He thought the kid would let go while he was getting a shower, but no. When the Child saw him take off his clothes in the bathroom the kid tried to take his own clothes off too. Din explained that he was about to get washed but the kid made it clear he wanted to join him. To his complete surprise showering with the kid was easy. The hardest part was washing with one hand. The Child loved the water and seeing his dad wash made him want to wash off too. Bath time with the little one hadn't been too hard but was usually time consuming, the kid wanted to play in the water and was uncooperative when it came to washing.

Taking a shower with the Child proved to be an efficient way for them both to get clean. Plus he got to listen to the kid laugh through most of it and he never got tired of hearing the womp rat laugh. The little one had immense fun trying to help his father wash his hair.

After their shower Din would shave and the kid was completely enthralled by the process. He perched on the sink watching every move his father made. Cara found their new morning routine highly amusing and he didn't bother to tell her that he actually liked it. She would have only teased him even more.

There was one other benefit to the child's attachment. When the three of them went out to look around the planet further he was happy to have the kid strapped safely to his side without a fight. He didn't trust the womp rat on the ground with those animals still around.

Though when it came time to leave the planet and he had to pilot the ship with the kid in his lap, Din got frustrated. But every time he got worked up, Cara gave him a glare reminding him that he deserved it. Deep down he knew she was right and simply suffered through. Thankfully when he cooked their meals the kid relented and watched from the table or Cara's arms. Cara had helped convince the Child that it wasn't safe to be that close while food was being prepared. Making a crack at his cooking skills in the process.

Finally after a week, the little one appeared convinced once more that his father wasn't going to disappear and stopped most of his insistent attachment. Things returned to how they had been before that terrible night. The Child let his dad put him to bed in his crib once more. Yet he would still find his way into Din's bed during the night. one way or another. One thing that did continue were morning showers together, but usually only every other day. The kid had decided he didn't need a daily shower, instead some days he chose to sleep in— usually on Din's bunk.

Plus, the Mandalorian could tell Cara was slowly coming around to the idea of being the one responsible for the kid should anything happen. It was a slow process and Din didn't push her, he gave her time to discover her own abilities of taking care and protecting the kid. Little by little she was coming around to the 'baby thing'.

`fin~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was basically tooth rotting fluffiness, I hope it wasn't too much but after what I put these guys through I couldn't resist. Plus the image of the two showering together was too much to ignore. Please let me know what you think! Thank you so much to everyone for reading this story. I was nervous about posting it but all your comments and kudos have made me glad I did.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I have dipped my toes into Star Wars fics--I couldn't resist the pull of the little green bean, turns out he is an adorable muse. Though it was really Cara pushing this fic through my mind. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think!


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